Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

Anxiety and excitement are the same emotion. The only difference is our attitude toward the experience.

We need the courage to learn from our experience and the wisdom to be willing to change and grow.

Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.

We do not "come into" this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree.

There are many ways to meditate. But at the heart of them all is mindfulness.

In the beginning, nothing comes, in the middle nothing stays, in the end nothing goes.

Buddhas and ordinary beings are not two. Enlightenment and delusion are not different paths.

Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us, we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and not be squeamish about taking a good look.

The goal of the Buddhist path is not to add something to our existence but to discover something that has been there all along.

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.

The stages of insight unfold naturally when mindfulness is continuous. There is no need to desire them or try to make them happen.

Mindfulness is the key to transformation. It enables us to see our experience as it really is, free from distortion and bias.

The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your actions will be.

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

Zen proposes its solution by directly appealing to facts of personal experience and not to book-knowledge.

Enlightenment is not about becoming something special, but about realizing what we already are.

The true hero is one who conquers his own anger and hatred.

Knowledge must be stabilized by meditation. Without meditation, knowledge is like a child in battle.

The teaching is simple: act with kindness and compassion. If you cannot do this, at least try not to harm others.

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

The highest truth cannot be taught except through the conventional truth.

Smile, breathe, and go slowly.

The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.

The nature of life is change. The nature of change is painful. The nature of pain is temporary.

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

Compassion is a verb.

The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

True peace is found not in the absence of experience but in the clear seeing of all experience.